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by xxredemption-love-and-liesxx
Summary: [based on Sakura Hiden] "Taidaima," her breathing stopped as she heard the words from behind her, "Sakura." [SS] [oneshot]


**Home  
**xxredemption-love-and-liesxx

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_oneshot  
[T]_

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**naruto**© masashi kishimoto

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**S**akura allowed her eyes to close as she thought of her next thought. _Okaeri… Sasuke-kun._

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"Taidaima," her breathing stopped as she heard the words from behind her, "Sakura."

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The breath she had been holding released all in one gasp as she turned around rapidly to see the man she had been waiting to see for the last two years. Her eyes widened in absolute shock, as she inwardly tried to stop herself from dashing into his arms. She looked him over, and noted that he was wearing a black cloak that was torn in some areas, and his no-longer-there arm was hidden from view. The roseate picked up on his chokuto, secured around his waist.

Emerald eyes trailed upwards as she saw that his hair was much longer in length, and no longer was styled in a way that was spiking upwards in the back. He wore a dark blue sash that was wrapped around his forehead, with layers of his bangs still falling from underneath the material. His eyes, however, were both in perfect view for her.

His eyes… as always, were absolutely breath-taking.

The rinnegan eye which he seemed to 'hide' from her was open now, and she could study it much closely. The silvery-purple colouring made it stand out, and it was an odd contrast to his other onyx iris. Sakura noted that the rinnegan that he had gained had nine tomoe in three of the many rings that made up his eyes. Her gaze fell onto the other eye; the onyx one. She had seen it when it was full of life, and even when it had become a deathly grey.

Sakura could not help herself from lifting her hand, and laying it gently onto her love's cheek. He closed his eyes, leaning down slightly, and relaxing into her hand.

This surprised Sakura somewhat.

"S… Sasuke-kun…" finally, she allowed _his _name to escape her lips as she watched him practically bow down to her. "Y… You're back…"

His eyes opened once more, and captured her within his mismatched gaze. "Ah, I'm home."

And soon, she felt his arms wrap around her waist, pulling her close towards him.

"I missed you."

Sakura could not even stop the blush from dusting her own cheeks.

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Her fingers drummed nervousely against her leg as she watched the exhausted Uchiha politely drink the tea in which she had prepared for him. Winter was starting to set in, and he had mentioned that he was somewhat chilly, hence, Sakura making him a pot. The medical-nin, however, made no move to prepare herself any, and instead opted to turn on the heater in her house.

Sasuke had not spoken many words, instead listening to her own stories of going-ons within Konoha. He listened as she told stories about how all of her friends were ending up married or pregnant, and he somewhat wondered if she was jealous of that. However, Sasuke saw a bright smile come upon her face when she mentioned each and every one of her friends ending up with someone. The Uchiha watched over her, somewhat having the inclination to ask whether or not _she _was with someone.

However, questions were soon dropped onto him.

"I'd heard that you were in Konoha for a while, after the stuff with Toneri," she mentioned easily, tapping her fingers against the table now, her nails creating a somewhat pleasant noise.

Sasuke nodded his head, finding no need to lie about such a thing. "Ah," he paused, seemingly thinking over his words. "With the dobe gone, it seemed there were problems in Konoha as well. The village needs to have protectors, especially with something such as asteroids. I doubt any of the shinobi would be able to deal with so many of them."

The roseate stopped her tapping and looked up at him. "It would have been nice for you to say 'hello' to Naruto…' _or… even me_.

"I couldn't," he murmured softly. "If I did something like that, I would be inclined to stay. I still had debts to make up; I still do now."

Sakura sighed and peeled away from the table, standing upright now. "Do you have anywhere to stay?" she asked, deciding to change the subject.

"Yes, I do."

"That's good."

"Ah."

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He had left awhile after that exchange, saying that he needed to report in with Kakashi. Sakura was sure that it was because of what she had said, and somewhat, made her feel a bit of regret for laying it on him.

Sakura decided it was best to just clean up a bit, and prepare herself some dinner; maybe go for a bath and relax.

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His feet hit the pavement in a seemingly soundless sort of way. He had no need to see Kakashi. He had already reported into him. Sasuke knew that he had no right—no right at all to show up at her place, and expect everything would be fine.

He stopped.

_I've already made her wait long enough for me_.

After that initial thought, he allowed himself to shake his head.

_But… I'm too selfish to let her leave…_

He needed to talk to her, and set things straight. He _needed _her to understand.

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The next day, it seemed that the wintry weather had made a turn for the worst. The temperatures had plummeted, and people were bringing out their heavy clothing, as if expecting snow to fall at any moment.

Weather forecasts had stated that there was no chance of snow, but it would be best advised that people without heavy clothing buy some as soon as possible.

For a land that is said to be absolutely simmering in the summer, the temperature sure did drop when it came to winter. The Land of Fire had a reputation of having the most wildest weather changes; that was just something everyone got used to. Of course, newcomers often expected that the Land of Fire was actually always warm (and only had _slightly _cool days), but they were often proved wrong when they went through their next winter.

The woman that was practically the human-form of haru walked through the streets. She was wearing a heavy, red coat with white fluff at the cuffs and at the neck area. She also wore a crimson beanie, but her hair was styled flawlessly as always. She walked through the chilly morning air, and her breath came out as puffs that looked like white smoke.

It certainly _was _cold.

Lifting her hands, she blew warm air into them. When this did nothing, she allowed her chakra to flow into the palm of her hand, and spread to her fingers tips, creating an illuminating glow. Her jade eyes closed as she felt warmness tingle throughout her body, and her (unknowing) shivers died down.

Cold weather had never really… been her thing.

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She arrived at her house once more, having been told to have the next two days off. Ever since the war, Sakura had been overworking herself, and soon, Tsunade had intervened. As much as Sakura did not want the time off—she would rather focus on healing people and focusing on the Children's Mental Health Hospital—she was glad that she was able to rest some more, and stay inside of her cosy house.

The door clicked open, and she entered the already warm house.

Odd, seeing as she did not turn on the heater or accidently leave it on (a habit she had trained herself _out _of).

She allowed her chakra to span out once more, but when she noticed it was just her raven-haired ex-teammate, she calmed down.

Stepping into the kitchen, he had seemed to have made some hot chocolate. Wordlessly, he offered her a cup, and she took it into her hands, feeling her body bubble at the warmth.

Sakura was somewhat surprised, as she watched Sasuke take sips at his own hot beverage.

"Coffee," he said quietly. "Even now, I still don't like sweet things."

"Oh," she said under her breath. "I guess that makes sense."

She blew into the steaming cup, and lowered her lips so she could take a sip. Almost instantly, the taste of the hot chocolate danced on her tongue. Sakura was confused, however. It was not an ordinary cup of hot chocolate, it seemed. She looked up at him, question falling into her eyes.

Sasuke did not answer, and instead placed his own cup of coffee on the kitchen counter. He leaned up against it, and watched her over for a moment.

"When did you get here?" Sakura asked after a while of their silence.

"A few moments before you did. I suspected that Tsunade would have let you off, and my thoughts seemed to be truthful when I felt your chakra moving back towards you home," he answered almost instantly.

The roseate nodded, placing her cup against the table, rather than the bench. She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling somewhat awkward.

Clearing his throat abrubtly, he spoke. "I believe I needed to speak to you about yesterday, and why I didn't see… Naruto."

Sakura shook her head straight away. "No, don't worry about that. I was just curious…"

"… The reason I didn't see Naruto, was simply because I may have seen you," he spoke after a few more moments of silence.

"Nani?" Sakura blinked a few times, unsure of what to say, but she still allowed herself to ask: "Why?"

She watched as he leaned heavily into the bench behind him. He was hesitating. That much was easy to see.

Allowing his gaze to drop to the floor, he answered: "I had said yesterday that I would be inclined to stay home. That isn't exactly true," he paused for a few seconds before continuing. "I _would _have stayed here."

"Just… Just because you saw me?"

A simple nod was the only answer for _that _he seemed to give.

"I… I don't understand—"

Sasuke pushed himself off of the bench and leaned in close. She closed her eyes in shock, and felt the same feeling she had felt two years ago. Her eyes opened, and she realized that his fingers were touching the blue diamond seal a top her forehead.

The roseate swallowed thickly as he lowered his hand, but did not move away, in fact, he seemed to come closer.

"Onii-san used to do that same action to me," Sasuke murmured softly, his eyes focused unto hers. "I didn't understand it to begin with… I thought it was a way of rejection; of pushing me away. … When he came back from the edo-tensei, he kind of… answered to me what that meant. And I guess I knew it when he died as well… the final thing he did, was poke my forehead, like what I did to you. Itachi-nii-san wanted me to stay away to begin with, I guess. Especially when he knew what he had to do to the Uchiha… so he pushed me away like that. But… after the edo-tensei, everything did become clear."

The Uchiha leaned in and rested his forehead against hers. Sakura could not stop herself from blushing slightly, but she replayed his words over and over, trying to gain a meaning. She had a feeling that the poke to her forehead was no sign of rejection, but something else entirely.

"Itachi-nii-san did this as a way of showing that he loved me," Sasuke said, closing his eyes. "I guess I did the same to allow my own feelings to be known, but there was not really a way for you to understand. It was sort of a way for me to make sure… that I cared for you in that way."

Sakura could not believe her ears… Sasuke was confessing to her, it seemed. Her beat rapidly in her chest as she listened whole-heartedly to the words he was speaking. He pulled away slightly, his gaze now fixated elsewhere.

"But there is another way to show what I am trying to convey… without actually speaking it, I suppose," his voice was husky now, and in a way Sakura had never heard it.

She felt his arms reach for her as she was pulled onto the table top behind her, scarcely missing the hot chocolate he had prepared earlier. Sakura had realized that he had grown taller; only now being at his height. His fingers threaded into her own as he brushed his lips against hers, before going in and meeting her completely.

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He noticed that she reacted right away to his kiss. Their lips moved together in synchronization, and he did his best to not let his _other _desires get in the way. Sasuke knew that he needed this to be perfect; or well, as perfect as he could. He, at the end of the day, had no experience whatsoever in this field.

Breaking the kiss for only a moment so they could both breathe, he met her lips again, tasting her sweetness. She was like a fruit of some sort… strawberry, maybe. He licked her lower lip, asking for her permission to go a little further. Her mouth opened with certainty, and he jealously thought whether or not she had kissed others, but this thought was vanished as he started to explore her further.

Without his own accord, his hands started roaming, feeling her a little. Bit by bit, he undid her jacket, and allowed it to slide down her back, and make a ruffle circle around her. Gently, he caressed her curves and felt her. She was soft; delicate. He was sure that he could snap her bones if he absolutely wished to, yet, this little girl could punch through boulders even stronger than the toughest of bone.

Sasuke felt her moan softly, but she pulled away. She pressed her fingers against her lips, looking up at him shyly. Sasuke retracted his hands, deciding it was best not to go further.

"Do you understand?" he had to know; had to know whether or not she understood what he had been trying to show her.

Shyly, Sakura nodded her head. "H… Hai."

The Uchiha moved away, allowing her to slip off of the table, and onto her own feet. She still was bright red, and he was somewhat amused by her looks at that moment. In his eyes, she was beautiful, however, no matter how she looked.

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"Sakura," her name rolled off of his tongue, but in a sweet way, rather than the malicious ways that it had been spoken before. "Listen."

The roseate looked up at him, and watched as he furrowed his brows, and seemed to think of his next words before actually speaking them. Finally, he opened his mouth once more:

"You… You're my home… that's why I couldn't return," he whispered softly. "You've always been."

At his confession, her eyes became as wide as saucers.

He continued on, however. "You… brought me home… back to you. If it wasn't for you… I wouldn't be here, here in Konoha, right now. Hell, I'd probably be stuck in that damned desert dimension if it wasn't for you. … I know that I've done wrong to you, and no matter how many lifetimes I could be given, I could never made that up, and for that, I will always be sorry. I'm… not the best man to be with, nor am I the most emotional, but… Haruno Sakura…

"… will you accept me?"

The roseate had covered her nose and mouth, and her eyes had filled with tears now. She felt so much love for the man before her right now, but she noted the look of disdain upon his face.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Why are you crying?" he murmured softly. "Did I say something—"

"Iie, iie, iie," Sakura said, wiping her tears, but failing miserably. "I'm _happy_."

She looked down for a few moments, before looking back up at him.

"And as to you question… I'll _always _accept you, no matter how many lifetimes _I _could go through."

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Sasuke could not help himself from kissing her furiously once more, but with a different sort of passion to it. However, he knew better than to rush these things, so instead, he allowed his kiss to become more gentle. He needed to be patient, that much he knew.

After they pulled a part for the third time, Sasuke allowed himself to utter out: "Always remember that, no matter what, I'll always return home; back to you, Sakura."

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_fin_

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Well, I should be asleep, yet here I bring you an SS fanfiction. (bah). Anyways, based off of Sakura Hiden again.

Night, night :)

\- xxredemption-love-and-liesxx


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